Court Acquits Accused in 2016 Triple Murder Case for Lack of Evidence, Main Accused Absconding

New Delhi: A Delhi court has acquitted an accused in a 2016 triple murder case for want of concrete evidence, while the main accused, who allegedly committed the three murders, has been absconding since 2022. The case relates to the murder of two women and a girl by slitting their throats in June 2016. An FIR was registered at Usman Pur police station in connection with the incident.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Balwinder Singh acquitted accused Javed, giving him the benefit of doubt due to a lack of concrete evidence. “The court comes to the conclusion that there exist a serious doubt in the case of the prosecution and as such it has failed to prove its case against the accused persons for the commission of the alleged offences beyond all reasonable doubts,” the court observed.

“Accordingly, accused Javed is hereby acquitted for the commission of offences under section 120B read with section 302 IPC as well as sec. 201 IPC,” ASJ Balwinder Singh ordered on September 30. The court also observed that the prosecution had failed to produce evidence to establish the commission of an offence under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), relating to the destruction of evidence, by Javed.

Apart from introducing a theory that Javed had destroyed the mobile phone, no material was placed on record to substantiate the claim, the court said. “Likewise, there is also no other direct/circumstantial or scientific evidence available in the present case so to link the accused with the commission of the alleged incident/criminal conspiracy as well as the mobile phone and mobile contact number,” the court said in its judgment.

Advocate Raj Kamal Arya appeared as amicus curiae to assist the court. According to the prosecution’s case, the murders were allegedly committed after Rahisuddin alias Haider was unable to arrange Rs 1 lakh demanded by Mehrun Nisha and her mother, Sayra. He allegedly held a grudge against Mehrun Nisha after she stopped talking to him and developed friendships with other men.

It was alleged that Javed helped Haider execute the plan by keeping watch on the movements of the deceased and informing him over the phone. According to the judgment, Haider was arrested on June 9, 2016, from the Brahmpuri main road area near Rishi Kardam Road following secret information. In his disclosure statement, he allegedly admitted to committing the crime and stated that he worked at a meat shop and was in a relationship with Mehrun Nisha, whom he had considered marrying.

He allegedly told investigators that he had been providing money to Mehrun Nisha for daily and household expenses. Around four months before the incident, she had asked him to arrange Rs 1 lakh, stating that she and her mother had taken the amount from tenants as pagdi and needed to return it.

According to the prosecution, when Haider failed to arrange the money, Mehrun Nisha and her mother allegedly threatened to implicate him in a false rape case. He also claimed that Mehrun Nisha had stopped talking to him and developed friendships with other men, following which he and Javed allegedly planned the murders.

As per the alleged plan described in the judgment, Javed was to call Mehrun Nisha outside the house on the pretext that Haider had arranged the money and inform Haider when she was about to return. Haider allegedly entered the house while Mehrun Nisha was away and killed Sayra and Shabnam with a meat knife. He allegedly remained inside the house and watched television until Javed informed him that Mehrun Nisha was returning. When she arrived, Haider allegedly killed her by slitting her throat. 

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